FOX Announces Debut Date for Drive; Special Two-Hour 24

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TCAs: FOX on their upcoming plans, including The Simpsons, The O.C., The Loop and more.

By Eric Goldman

Running for nearly two weeks straight, the TCA (Television Critics Association) winter press tour is a major endeavor, where nearly all the biggest channels -- from the broadcast networks to popular cable stations -- have presentations and panels discussing their upcoming programming, including new and returning series.

FOX had much to celebrate at their TCA day, having just finished a week that saw the successful return of their two biggest hits; American Idol and 24. As the day began, the network made the announcement that the Tim Minear (Angel / Firefly) produced series Drive will have a special two-night premiere, including a two-hour debut on Sunday, April 15th from 8:00 to 10:00 pm ET/PT, and then another episode the next night, in its normal Monday 8:00 pm ET/PT timeslot, as the lead in to 24. In addition, 24 will have another two-hour presentation itself, on Monday, February 12th.

FOX's main dilemma in the past couple of years has been their relatively weak performance in the fall, in the time before Idol and 24 return. President of Entertainment for FOX, Peter Liguori said, "I think we can avoid that, frankly, by having better shows in the fourth quarter. This is my second year at the network, and I just don't accept that that's the way it is; that we're a network that has a ratings surge and comes to life and blossoms in January, and that fourth quarter is just something we have to tough out. We have to have better shows in the fourth quarter." Liguori also noted that next fall, less time will be given to baseball playoff coverage, with the maximum number of preemptions going from 26 to "about 14."

Asked why a decision on ending The O.C. was made relatively early in the season, instead of waiting until the spring, Liguori said, "I think, for the loyal fans of the show, announcing that this is the final season puts them on notice, alerts them, lets them realize and anticipate that [Executive Producer Josh Schwartz] is going to end this with a flurry. I just think it's respectful to fans to do that." Many critics have said The O.C. has been creatively revitalized this season, and Liguori remarked, "We want the show to end on a creative high note. We wish we were ending on a higher ratings note. But again, I think this is respectful to Josh, all the actors, the show, its legacy, and, most importantly, the audience."

One journalist noted that Tim Minear has now produced three well received cult series for FOX (Firefly, Wonderfalls and The Inside) that weren't aired in the proper episode order, and which were all cancelled before all of their first season episodes were aired. Asked what Drive has to do to survive, Liguori said, "First, to Tim's credit, he's kind of the Rocky Balboa of FOX producers and show creators. We're very excited about Drive. We have a lot of faith in the show. It's an extraordinarily -- it's a FOX concept. It's bold. It is something that explores something in a different arena. In terms of what it's going to take to see a season two, we'll see. I can't put a number on it. We tend to look at things from a creative basis as opposed to merely just a numerical basis. We have every faith that this is going to be a top show for us."

Asked if some point, there could be too much Simpsons material out there, Liguori said of the series, now in its 18th season, "I think the answer is no. Especially in this current environment, given the paucity of comedy, an audience is going to show up to a really funny show. I think it can go on for quite a long time." The network plans a large promotional campaign for the 400th episode of the series in May, and Liguori said he was optimistic that the upcoming Simpsons movie could possibly add to the series viewership too.

Liguori said the comedy The Loop will return at some point, and noted they had filmed ten episodes for a second season. FOX currently has "TBA" listed for their Thursday night lineup, once The O.C. finishes up next month. Liguori said the next season of Hell's Kitchen was one possibility to air on Thursdays, along with a game show called Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader and The Loop.

Asked for more details on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader (which comes from Survivor producer Mark Burnett), Liguori explained, "This is a show where we will take four average, precocious kids who will be the lifeline of a contestant. These kids are not geniuses. They are just your average 4th, 5th, 3rd graders. All questions in the contest will come from textbooks of 5th graders and below. So whereas most game shows in an odd way measure how smart you are, our contestants are going to be measured about how dumb they are. These are going to be questions you might ask your kids, where they will rattle off an answer like that [snaps finger], but given how distant we are from a 5th grade education, actually wind up being a bit tougher."